Box Score

CHICAGO (November 2, 2011) – The North Park men's soccer team earned a spot in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) tournament championship game with a 2-1 win over visiting Wheaton College in the semifinals Wednesday night.

The victory marked North Park's second over Wheaton in the last two CCIW tournaments, and its first over the Thunder in the semifinals. NP earned its second straight trip to the final in the last two years as well.

NP senior Kris Grahn scored the game-winner in the 80th minute on an assist from sophomore Filip Lindmark Grahn took the pass and dribbled the ball between three defenders, putting a shot up in the bottom left of the goal.

The Vikings pulled ahead not even two minutes in to the contest when freshman Fredrik Greiffscored his third goal of the season unassisted. Wheaton came back with the equalizer eight minutes later, but neither team could muster much offense until Grahn's tally in the second half.

North Park (11-2-3) will now face Carthage College, a 4-3 overtime winner over Elmhurst College Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Kenosha, Wisconsin for the tournament championship, and the CCIW's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.